


Abraham's Daughter

by hiraethnefarious



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Angry Kissing, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Dominant Kylo Ren, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Falling In Love, Friendship/Love, Kylo Ren Needs a Hug, Protective Kylo Ren, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:34:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25443997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hiraethnefarious/pseuds/hiraethnefarious
Summary: Kylo Ren and Iberis were childhood friends, once upon a time, a long, long time ago. She never thought she would see him again, but a chance meeting on Jakku proved her wrong. With both of them standing on opposite sides of this conflict, she feels like Ben Solo, as she knew him, is long gone. Instead, Iberis is just hoping to get off his damn ship with all of her limbs still intact. But maybe, she will learn more about Kylo Ren in the process.Maybe, just maybe, she can find Ben again, too.
Relationships: Ben Solo | Kylo Ren/Original Female Character(s), Kylo Ren/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 6





	1. Jakku

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I have been working on this story using another website, but I've decided to transfer it here!

Iberis is not a hero. She's not some great fighter who is gifted and skilled, who will conquer the First Order and bring peace to the galaxy. That's not her in the slightest. She's just a mediocre pilot with good intentions, who joined the Resistance to try and help the fight in any way she could.

Right now, as she leans outside the stone house where Poe is getting the map to Luke Skywalker from Lor San Tekka, she gets a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. When she looks up at the sky, her senses become justified as she sees the dreaded image of the dark ship, like an evil black bird looming in the air.

"Dammit," she groans, just as BB-8 goes rolling through the beads, shrieking a warning to his master, Iberis pounds on the outside wall. "Poe, hurry!" she exclaims and grabs the pistol, which is on her waist. She's rubbish with weapons- Poe only gave it to her for absolute protection, and he said to let him do all the shooting. Now she sees all of the ships, belonging to the New Order, descending on this little town.

Poe comes running out a second later, Lor San Tekka, in tow. Iberis joins his side just as the older man instructs for the two of them to leave. Iberis can see their X-Wings still stationary, and with a final goodbye to the older man, she and Poe begin running again, and that's when all hell breaks loose. Some stormtroopers come streaming out of their ships and start firing on the villagers. She's seen the violence that the First Order is capable of on the attacks against the Resistance, but used against helpless villagers, her heart breaks for these people.

"Focus, Ibie!" Poe shouts at her as he notices her slowing her pace. He knows her well and knows when she's not entirely focused on their task, but he always manages to bring her back.

They've reached their X-Wings and her old, but very loyal, droid, R3-Y2 is waiting patiently for her. He begins beeping widely and hopping, scared of the fighting that's ensued. He's a sweet bucket of bolts, and she wouldn't trade him for the world.

"It's okay, R3!" she screams as R3 gets hoisted into the X-Wing. Just as she gets into the cockpit, the stormtroopers see them and hit Poe's ship, but luckily BB-8 is saved from the blast. When they caught her, they hit R3 directly. The explosion is so powerful Iberis is blown back and lands on the ground with a hard thud.

When she pushes herself up, she sees nothing but fire engulfing the wings and cockpit. "R3!" she cries, but it's too late for the little robot who was completely blown up by the blast.

Poe is on his knees beside his ruined ship, instructing BB-8 to get as far away from here as it can go. The droid has the map hidden away, with the fate of the galaxy is now on it. It's far safer with BB-8 than it'll be with either of them.

"I promise I'll come to you!" Poe promises BB-8, who beeps in agreement then begins rolling away.

Poe runs and skids to a stop beside a wall, his rifle balanced on the broken wall, and aiming at the stormtroopers. Iberis joins his side just as another ship descends to the ground. The door opens, more stormtroopers come rushing out, who then are followed by a cloaked figure.

Iberis swallows hard and bites her bottom lip. The feeling of dread fills her stomach again as she stares at this figure. She has a secret: A secret which is harbored by Han Solo and General Leia Organa too. The secret is the tall, dark figure who is now interrogating Lor San Tekka, who calls himself Kylo Ren. That's not his real name, but the one he chose to adopt. One time he was a childhood friend of hers, but now he's twisted and morphed into something evil.

Iberis is shaken out of her thoughts when Ren grows furious with Lor San Tekka and strikes him down violently, causing screams to erupt from the captured villagers. Poe shoots at Ren and then darts over the wall, running full force at the cloaked man.

"Poe, wait!" Iberis yells and launches herself over the wall too, but a second later, both the pilots are frozen mid-step. She's never felt like this before, but she knows who caused it. Ren instructs two stormtroopers to bring Poe over to him, but Iberis is still frozen.

The sound of Poe's beating fills the air, and she groans and tries desperately to move, but the force is far too strong for her to overcome. She is facing the ground, and her hair forms a dark curtain, obscuring her face. She hears Poe make a stupid comment about talking first; then, Ren tells his men to put him on the ship. She listens to the sound of heavy footsteps once again, and suddenly her invisible barrier disappears, and she falls to the ground.

"Ow," she mumbles as she clutches her ribcage. One of them cracked from the earlier impact, and the sudden landing made her painfully aware of it.

"You... I didn't think I'd ever see you again." A low voice replies. When she looks up, all she sees is the black, terrifying mask. The voice is unfamiliar and cold, and it is certainly not her friend.

She begins trembling, and she wants to hit herself for looking so weak. She refuses to look at the mask anymore, instead choosing to look at Kylo's black boots.

"You're with the Resistance. I should have guessed," he scorns. "Put her on the ship with the other pilot." He instructs two stormtroopers, which immediately grab her roughly by the arms and drag her quickly to the ramp.

A Captain, clad in silver with a red cape, then approaches Ren. "What about the villagers?" she asks.

"Kill them all," he replies quickly, and the troopers begin firing, not ten seconds later.

Poe begins struggling, so does Iberis. "No, no, please don't do this. Kylo, don't!" she screams. She vigorously kicks at the stormtroopers holding her and manages to make contact with one of their heads. The trooper is thrown off balance and topples over the ramp. The stormtrooper throws her to the floor, smashing the butt of his rifle on her jaw. The last thing she sees is Kylo Ren looking at her, his head tilted as he watches her.

Her childhood friend is long gone. And now she's in the hands of a monster who most likely wishes her dead.

The cell she is in is cold, small, and dark. She has a wicked headache, a heavy heart, and a lot of anger in her body.

In the center of the room lies a chair with restraints and harnesses, which frightens her. She sits on a small metal seat tucked away in the corner, clutching her ribcage. Her broken rib is sore, her jaw swollen and bruised from the stormtrooper. She has no idea where Poe is- or Kylo Ren, for that matter. He's the one who wanted her on the ship in the first place, but now she's alone.

A noise at the door makes her jump. Two stormtroopers enter the cell and immediately lock the door behind them. She recognizes the two, who had dragged her on the ship from Jakku. The one she kicked in the head is approaching her.

"You're part of the Resistance, yes or no?" he asks.

She doesn't respond, only looks at the floor. The stormtrooper nudges her with the gun, growing angry. "Answer me." He barks.

She again offers no answer, which only agitates the stormtrooper more. She had humiliated the man once, but she won't do it again. He grabs her by her hair and drags her off the bench before throwing her across the room. He has no time for uncooperative Resistance scum.

"We'll get answers out of you one way or another, hold her up." He instructs to his companion, who quickly obliges. He walks over, takes her two arms, and pulls her off the floor. Iberis lets out a groan but decides to fight back. She throws her head back and hits the stormtrooper in the helmet. It probably hurts her more than him, but it does make him lose his balance. She can rip her arms away, but she hears a shot from a blaster before she feels it in her leg. She lets out a cry as her leg buckles, and she falls to the ground. The trooper kicks her in the leg before his companion grabs her and resumes the earlier position.

"Stop fighting, girl." The trooper commands.

She rolls her eyes and huffs. "Not a girl," she grumbles.

"What did you say?" the interrogator asks her.

"Nothing." She responds bitterly.

His fists tighten, and he grows angry. "You will answer my questions." He spits out.

"No, I will not. I will not answer you. I do not answer faceless numbers." She growls. She knows what she said is harsh and mean, but it will aggravate the trooper and make him forget about questioning her- and it works. The soldier does not hesitate to drop his gun, and he smashes her in the face with his fist. Her nose begins gushing blood, and her knees buckle, but the trooper holding her keeps her upright.

Her attacker doesn't stop. Another hit to her already cracked rib, one to her stomach and another on the wound in her leg. She feels like she can't breathe. He hits her jaw again and a harsh jab to her lung. She's choking, and blood and saliva drip out of her mouth. He doesn't ask her any more questions, only continues his furious beating. This beating is no longer about getting information; this is payback for making him look weak.

She counts her lucky stars when the door opens.

"LF8910, stop."

The fists suddenly stop, but Iberis doesn't lookup. The trooper holding her also let's go, and she slumps to the ground, her body screaming in pain. She's still coughing, and blood splatters the floor, as does a tooth.

"Leave us," the voice instructs. Iberis lets out a small sigh when she recognizes it. She's not happy that he's here, but at least the beating stopped. She hears the cell door slide open, then closes again. "Sit up," Ren instructs.

She's trembling, her mouth still bleeding. "I can't." she chokes out. The evil man leans forward and slips his hand under her shoulders before sliding her upright against the wall. He pulls her legs out so she can have some balance, before resuming a kneeling position directly opposite her.

"Where's Poe?" she gasps out.

"None of your concern." He answers.

She chews on her bottom lip and watches him for several moments before finally speaking again, softly. "Do you still have the same face under that mask?"

"You have not seen my face in years." He replies bitterly.

"Doesn't mean I don't remember it," she says but then pauses. Kylo tilts his head, waiting for her to continue. She flicks her hair back and stares him directly in the face when she finally continues speaking. "Ben."

He stands immediately and begins circling her, like a predator inspecting his prey. "THAT is not my name," he growls.

"Yes, it is," she persists, trying to push herself up so she can look at him directly. Her leg won't let her stand, but she does manage to sit on her knees. "Your name is Ben. We were born the same year. Your mother is Leia, and your father is Han Solo. We were friends, don't you remember, Ben?" she begs. She's crying now; the tears are cutting a pathway through the blood smeared on her face. "Please, remember me. Remember us!"

He walks over to her and kneels so quickly she doesn't have time to lean back. He grabs her swollen chin, and she has to bite her lip to keep from crying out. "I am not Ben. He is not my father. You are not my friend. Ben is dead. You are too. You sided with them," the word is so bitter coming out of his mouth that Iberis can almost taste the vinegar. "You sealed your fate." He whispers.

He slips his arm behind her waist, the other under her knee, and picks her up so swiftly she can't protest. And then he places her in the dreaded chair before locking her in place.

"What about your mother!? Leia Organa. You couldn't have forgotten her. She loved you so much. Don't you remember? Or did they take her from you too?" she yells as he tightens the harness around her waist. He is silent, and his hands stop, for only a moment, before locking the tight belt in place. He doesn't answer her.

"You are close to Leia and the Resistance, and you have information that I could use, and you will give it to me." He orders and stands up. The mask is concealing his voice, and she frowns.

She drops her head before speaking again. "You haven't said my name once this entire time." She whispers.

Again, he reaches forward, lifting her chin before leaning so close to her that she can see her reflection in his mask. "That's because it means nothing to me anymore."


	2. The Cell

Iberis holds the dull metal spoon, so the sloppy contents of it fall into the awaiting bowl of gruel. She cocks an eyebrow before shoving the tray away. The First Order barely feeds their prisoners, only giving them enough rations to keep them half alive, so their quotas are one bowl of gruel every twenty hours. Iberis is hungry, but she still refuses to eat their pathetic rations. She kicks the tray across the room, making it crash into the door, and the gruel splatters against the black walls and doors. She crosses her arms and leans back against the wall, shutting her sore eyes and hoping she can get some rest. However, a second later, Poe's ear-splitting scream rings through her cell. He's in the room beside her so that they can hear the deathly loud cry.

"Poe!" She screams out and crawls over to the door, pounding on it with her weak fist. She sits, now covered in gruel, sweat, and tears. She leans her head against the door and breathes heavily, waiting for a response from her friend, but it never comes- Poe has gone silent.

Kylo Ren is with Poe now. Iberis refused to give him information verbally, but her weak and tired mind was no match for Ren's use of the force. He was disappointed with the information he eventually ripped out of her head. She hasn't seen the map to Luke; he already knows the layout of the rebel base, and the only thing she filled her mind with were images of Leia. It nearly made him explode with anger.

"Stop it, girl. She was not your mother!" he shouts at her, as he paces the floor, his hand clenching the hilt of his lightsaber. He is nearly shaking with anger.

Iberis is quivering and is too weak to scream back, "You need to remember, Ben." She rasps.

"Enough!" he roars. He rips out his lightsaber and begins thrashing it against the wall until there are only long black streaks running along the black wall. He made Iberis go unconscious before she could say another thing about Leia.

When she woke up, he was gone. Now, all she can hear is Poe's screaming. She breathes hard and squints her eyes, but nothing can block out his painful cries.

"Oh, Poe." She chokes out. What are they doing to him? What is Ben doing to him? Should she even call him Ben anymore? He hates the memories of his old life. How could he have so easily forgotten about his mother, his childhood, his life? His mind is so morphed and twisted now; she fears there is absolutely nothing left of her friend.

Both she and Ben were born on Chandrila. She still vividly remembers the day she met Ben. Little ten-month-old Iberis waddled away from her mother and walked right into a seven-month infant, knocking him. And that's how she met Ben. Their childhood was a simple one, spent in school during the day, then running through the small woods and adventuring during the night. Chandrila did not have a wide array of natural vegetation, but there were a few collections of small woodland parks, where they would play while their mothers were having debates in the Senate.

They had one tree, which was their favourite to climb. Ben, with his long legs and arms, was able to climb the tree at a record pace. He would glance down at her, chuckle, as she tried to reach him with her clumsy limbs. She would finally contact the tallest branch, and almost every time, she would lose her footing. He would always catch her, though, and as she dangled, clutching his hand, she often thought about how beautiful their planet was.

Iberis was heartbroken when her friend had to leave. Leia sent Ben away to his uncle when he was thirteen, for his Jedi training. Had Iberis known that when she was saying goodbye to the awkward, gangly boy, she was so close with, and never seeing that boy again, she may have run as far and as fast as possible so her memories of him could be pure and sweet.

How different it all was now. Iberis hates the First Order; she hates Kylo Ren for killing Ben Solo. She hates them all.

The door to her cell slides open, and a medic dressed in white comes in. She nearly crashes into Iberis as she was still seated in front of the door. The physician raises her eyes before gesturing for Iberis to move back. When she doesn't, she sneers at her.

"Move back, now." The medic growls, before pulling a blaster out and pointing it at her head. She gulps and closes her eyes before sliding back a little farther. The physician kneels, grabbing her leg and pulling it over harshly. Iberis grimaces as the medic examines the blaster wound on her leg. The woman then takes out a pair of scissors and begins cutting away at her pant leg.

"Hey! Wait, please don't-" Iberis exclaims, but the medic only shoves the blaster in her face, yet again.

"I need to dress this wound, so shut up and listen." The medic snaps and finishes cutting the fabric then quickly rip off the cloth, just above her thigh. The medic then rubs the wound in a painful and putrid smelling ointment. Iberis involuntarily lets out a cry and huddles up, to which the physician rolls her eyes and puts on more lotion. She quickly collects her things and makes for the door.

"Why did you do that? Wouldn't it be easier if you just left it to be infected and not waste resources on me?" she calls out quickly, stopping the medic in their path. Her leg seems to be bubbling up, and she grits her teeth, unsure if this treatment will help her or make her worse.

"I had my orders." The medic responds before quickly leaving the cell, clearly not wanting to be around her for any longer.

Her cell doesn't stay empty for long. Soon, LF8190 comes striding back into the cold cell; his fists balled up. She catches her breath and looks away instantly. The stormtrooper circles her, chuckling before he grabs her by her hair and tosses her over to the chair. He kicks her in the side, and she chokes for air before clutching her ribs. He comes over again, shoving her into the base of her chair, and her head ricochets off the chair. There are black spots in her vision. She feels blood on her head, and LF8190 grabs her by the shoulders and slams her into the chair. He straps her in the arm restraints, before going down to her legs. She is breathing heavily, and her vision is still hazy.

"General Hux needs more information. He said I could use any means to get it." The stormtrooper informs her. Had he not been wearing the helmet, she would see his malicious smile on his lips.

She chokes out some air before shaking her head before answering. "I don't know anything else… Kylo Ren got everything out of me. I was not important in the Resistance." She murmurs, and her head drops onto the neck brace behind her.

He snorts before tightening her arm restraints. "Well, I don't believe that. My methods will work better," he answers. He steps back and examines her body. "You'll break," he adds bitterly.

The memories of being beaten come back like a flood. "Please don't," she chokes out.

He laughs before delivering the first blow to her nose, which cracks. She lets out a cry as blood begins pouring out of the broken cartilage. He's still laughing when he delivers another one to her ear, making her instantly dizzy. "There's no Kylo Ren to save you now, scum." he snaps as he balls his fist again.

As his beating continues, time seems to slow down. Iberis is in and out of consciousness, and she feels like she can barely breathe. He keeps beating her, mostly without asking any questions. He doesn't care about anything she has to say; he just wants to make her sorry for the time she embarrassed him. He is just a crazed, power-hungry individual who has a gun and too much power.

"Tell me about the Resistance base!" LF8190 screams as his white fist collide with her face, again.

Slam.

Her head rolls to the side, and she chokes on the blood, clogging her throat. She can't even try to say anything; she can only choke on the blood in her throat, and she can no longer think straight. She can't remember any of the questions he's asked her, and now it's clear, especially to LF8190, that she will no longer be of any use. She is slumped forward, had the restraints not been around her torso and limbs she would be on the floor. Even though she isn't of any use to the First Order, LF8190 does not want to stop his beating. His anger only continues as he remembers how this Resistance rat humiliated him in front of his Captain, Kylo Ren, and his fellow troopers. It's personal vendetta now.

He raises his fist for the final blow to her neck, but that's when the cell door slides open, and he is suddenly frozen. He grunts, trying to move his hand, but it's no use. The tight, invisible bonds of the force are no match for him. He can look over and sees the cause of his bondage, Kylo Ren standing in the doorway, with his hand extended. Phasma stands beside him.

"LF8190, explain yourself," Captain Phasma growls. When her trooper doesn't answer within four seconds, her tone becomes icy and low. "Now."

"I was permitted to get information out of this prisoner, with any means necessary." He chokes out, still trying to move out of his invisible suddenly feel his throat tightening against his will, and he immediately begins gasping for air.

"Who gave you this order?" Kylo Ren asks angrily. He clenches his fist, and the trooper groans as the rest of his body begin tightening like his throat.

"General Hux!" the trooper chokes out as he begins to see black, and he feels like he is about to pass out.

"This is my prisoner, LF8190, and if you have caused irreversible damage to her, you will suffer the consequences," Kylo Ren threatens as he releases the forcer hold, making the trooper fall into the floor. The soldier begins screaming, claiming his innocence, but the force wielding masked man is in no mood for it. He knocks the trooper unconscious quickly. "Captain, please escort LF8190 to a jail cell. I will deal with him later." Kylo Ren spits glances over to his prisoner, who is unmoving in the interrogation chair, blood pouring out of her face.

"Sir- for what reason are we detaining him?" Phasma questions, unmoving from her spot in the doorway.

"He's damaged my prisoner and damaged a source of information. He was allowed to question this prisoner with a certain amount of force, but these injuries may cost her life, so we will lose information that could be key for the First Order. Take him." He instructs. Phasma nods and walks over, collecting the unconscious trooper and towing him out the door.

Kylo Ren turns back to the woman in the chair, and immediately he can tell that the damage the stormtrooper has inflicted on her is significant. Her face is completely distorted and morphed with swelling and blood, and the only thing that makes her recognizable is her clothes and the hair beads and gold circles that adorn her braids and dreadlocks.

"Get up," he snaps at her. But, there's no answer. Her head remains slumped, and her eyes are swollen shut. Ren reaches forward and shakes her shoulder. "Iberis. Wake up." He says, but again no answer comes. He quickly undoes the restraints, and the seemingly lifeless girl falls out of the chair, and Ren has to grab her to keep her from crashing to the floor.

Kylo Ren slips his hand under her knees and the other behind her back. He carries her out of the cell and to the medical bay. It does not take him long to get there, as every stormtrooper and worker parts to make a path for him to walk through. The rage emitting from his form is practically suffocating in the base.

When he arrived at the Medical Bay, the nurses and doctors were shocked to see the Resistance prisoner in Kylo Ren's arms. The same medic who had worked on her before she cocks her eyebrow at sight.

"Do your best with her. She has the information I need. If she dies, I'll hold you responsible." He snaps as he lays her on a stretcher- one equipped with hand restraints, which one of the attendees tie around her wrists.

The medic nods and begins examining the woman, doing her best to diagnose her injuries. "Fractured jaw, broken cheekbone, and a broken nose. Bruising over ribcage- we'll need a scan…"

The doctor drones on, and Ren can feel his anger rise. Hux permitted one of his troops to almost killing his prisoner. Iberis was his property now; Hux has no say of her fate.

"What is this!?"

Ren rolls his eyes and looks behind him, just as said general comes storming into the medical bay. The skinny ginger man looks furious as he rushes over to Ren. "Why are you wasting our resources on her!? She has no value to us-"

"She was my prisoner, Hux. I still have plans for her, and yet you allowed one of your troops to damage her. I still need her, and I need her to be in better condition than how he left her. Do not question me again," Ren threatens as he begins walking out of the bay. "Once she heals, I want her returned to me immediately," Ren instructs the doctor who nods. Hux glares after him with pure anger in his eyes before storming back to the bridge. He passes Ren angrily, but Ren does not walk as quickly. Does Iberis have the information he needs? He isn't sure. He's seen her mind, and it is not full of Resistance secrets. But regardless, she is not allowed to die before he is positive, she is of no use to him.

He returns to the bridge just as an unsanctioned TIE fighter begins clumsily escaping from the bay. "Is it the Resistance pilot?" Ren asks Hux, who nods.

"Yes. And had to help from one of our own." The angry general admits.

"The stormtrooper, the one from the village: FN2187," Ren tells Hux. He knew there was something wrong with that trooper, and he senses it now.

As the TIE fighter escapes into space, with Poe Dameron in it, the only link he has to the Resistance and Luke Skywalker, lies on the medical bay, with an uncertain fate.


	3. Dreaming

What do you dream about?" Poe asks her absentmindedly, as he lies on the grass, staring at the stars. It's a quiet night on base, so Poe and Iberis have slipped away to escape from the stress for a little while. They're lying on a grassy hill, less than a mile away from the Resistance base. She has her legs crossed, her arms laying flat, and her palms facing the sky. She breathes deeply, before turning her head, raising her eyebrows. That's an odd thing to ask, she thinks.

"Well, a lot of things, I suppose. Usually, it's about a peaceful world. Also about my home planet, I think of it a lot. There's also a type of cake that this little bakery would make, they were across from my house, and we would always get it at the end of every second week, for a treat. I would love one of those now, honestly." She admits as she rubs her stomach, remembering the sweet purple pastry, which had purple flowers decorating it. She and Kylo often shared a cake when one of their parents gave them credits to get a treat.

Poe snorts and rolls on to his back, letting his legs stretch out and relax. "I could use a cake too. We should get some to celebrate when this thing ends," he sighs, his eyes cringing. She knows that "this thing" refers to the end of the war, but she honestly doesn't know if either of them will live to see that.

Images of her time with Poe fills her mind. However, her calm thoughts are interrupted by constant beeping. What on earth is beeping?

The beeping gets louder and louder and more aggravating. Then, an agonizing pain erupts in the abdomen. Her eyes shoot open, her pleasant images of her friend are gone, and she lets out a cry before trying to sit up, only to realize she's, once again, in restraints. The piercing white light is nearly blinding, and her throat feels sore and dry. Her eyelids hurt to open, and she could taste dried blood and gunk in her mouth.

Her head is aching, but she does know she's in a new area and no longer in the cell. A doctor, clad in white, is scowling at her while scribbling in his clipboard. Though her vision is limited, she can see several physicians and nurses glaring at her, as well as First Order droids wandering the sterile-looking room. It's a large room, littered with gurneys and white curtains.

"Where am I?" she whispers, her voice cracks from the lack of water.

"Oh, where do you think?" The doctor replies sarcastically. He finishes writing. "You're in the medical bay. I just spent hours trying to patch you up. I've wasted so many valuable resources on you. If it were up to me, or General Hux, I would have just let you die, but Kylo Ren still needs you. You should thank him, scum." He spits out, as he snaps his clipboard down on her leg, right on the blaster wound, making her yelp. However, the action makes her realize her legs have no restraints. She lifts the unwounded leg, and with all the strength she could muster, she manages to kick the doctor directly in the groin.

The man squeals before crashing to his knees, whimpering. A stormtrooper comes over. With the butt of his gun, he smashes it in her face, and the world quickly goes back yet again.

When she wakes up, the pain is much worse. Her entire body feels like it is on fire. Her limbs are heavy and aching; her head feels like it will explode. She tastes only blood and medicine. Her sore eyes open, only to find herself, once again, back in her cell, and in restraints.

This time, she has company. Kylo Ren is leaning against the wall, his arms crossed. Had his helmet been off, she would have seen that he is rolling his eyes. He is so tall that he engulfs the entire wall.

"Stop attacking people." He says bluntly.

"They're rude," she grumbles back and closes her eyes again, trying to block out the bright, fluorescent light that's overhead. There's an IV in her arm, most likely to keep her from being a machine is pumping her full of liquid, and she wonders if maybe they are just trying to poison her.

"Don't be a child, Iberis. The situation you're in is critical." He states as he walks silently across the room until he's stopped in front of the restraining chair. She lets her less swollen eye open a bit so that she can see his tall frame. How pathetic she must look to him.

"You're the one who brought me into this critical situation. How is my face?" Iberis asks him. She leans her head back into the chair, trying her best to smirk, but her swollen lips make it look like a grimace.

Kylo Ren tilts his head before answering. "Pardon?"

"My face, it was beaten. How is it?" Iberis repeats.

He cannot believe that she is handling her situation so lightly. She could be dead by tomorrow, and she's asking about her face. Typical. He remembers how ridiculous and immature she was as a child; she certainly has not matured with age.

He doesn't answer her right away, but he does observe. Purple bruises litter her skin. There are gauze and bandages on her jaw, with red stains, and her eyelids are swollen and red, and her lips are cut open. The rest of her body is littered with bruises and cut. Most of her clothes ripped away, so she only has one pant leg and a tattered shirt remaining. She resembles nothing of the girl he brought onboard from the village, nor the one he knew from his childhood.

"Your face is as adequate," he replies half-heartedly, crossing his arms over his broad chest again to make himself seem as tall as possible.

"Let me see you." She whispers, her swollen eyes trained on his helmet. She has not stopped staring at him the entire time.

He shakes his head. "No. Why would I do that?" he asks her bitterly. He does not move; instead, they're in a standoff.

"What do you possibly have to lose…? What could I do? I just want to see you again. I haven't seen your face in over fifteen years. I just want to see you, just once." She admits, her voice barely above a whisper. Honestly, she just wants to see what face her friend now has.

He sighs, but in the end, he does agree; he has nothing to lose. He reaches up, slipping his fingers under the rim, and hauls the heavy helmet of his head. His dark hair falls in place, his eyes open, and Iberis is left staring at the face of her friend from so long ago. He has the same eyes, but he looks so angry, so cold. She can see him so clearly, though.

She tilts her head and sighs. "Hi, Ben." She breathes. Her hand inadvertently reaches for him, but the restraints stop the gesture.

He bites his lip and pushes himself away, trembling slightly. "Don't. Call. Me. That." He rasps out angrily and slowly, clearly trying to intimidate her.

"What do you want with me? Why didn't you just let me die?" she asks him as he continues staring at her with his own eyes. Seeing the face of the girl he knew is even worse without his mask to hide it. With his natural eyes, he can see the horrible signs of abuse left by the stormtrooper even more clearly.

"Poe Dameron has escaped. I know his droid has the map to Luke Skywalker. But with Dameron gone, you're the only link I have to the Resistance." He informs her, his expression unchanging as he watches for the emotion to show on her face.

And it does.

Her breath gets stuck in her throat, and she stares at him with fright and hurt. "Poe is gone?" she whispers.

"He left without a second thought to you, Iberis. Not once did he consider you. You meant nothing to him." Ren continues, pushing her further. He once again goes closer and puts his hands on her arms, so she has to look at him as he pushes her down into the chair. She closes her eyes, and tears spring to her eyes before rolling down her cheeks.

"Stop it, Ben." she chokes out, refusing to look at him.

"Where is he, Iberis? Why didn't he bother to even think about you? I saw his mind; he only cared about escape. Do you think any of the Resistance will ever come back for you? They won't ever come searching for you. You were nothing more than a pawn they used, someone, they could sacrifice when they needed to!" he shouts at her. His face is only centimeters away from hers, and she's crying loudly now.

"You don't understand, that's what I signed up for; I knew this could happen!" she roars back and begins writhing under his grip.

His eyes raise at her rebellious words. She isn't angry at Poe for leaving; she is hoping he gets back to the base. Ben lets go of her, stepping back, staring at the crying pilot.

"One thing hasn't changed during these years, Iberis. You're still that same naïve little girl that I knew," He growls, before grabbing his helmet and placing it back on his head. His voice immediately drops, and he begins questioning her yet again. "Where is Luke Skywalker?"

She barely seems conscious before muttering an answer. "You know I have no answer. Toss me out with the trash, Ben. I have nothing left for you to take." She sighs before her eyes shut, and she goes limp in the chair.

Kylo Ren swallows before turning to the door. She is right; she has nothing left that can be useful for him. But, he won't give her up yet. She might still be of use for something.


	4. Amias

Iberis sighs as she lays on the floor, totally refusing to move. Kylo Ren had left their little "session," and she feels exhausted. She knits her eyebrows together as she forces her tired eyes to examine her small cell, for seemingly the hundredth time, but she is looking for any sort of escape route. Poe managed to escape, and she is beyond thankful for that, but she has to find a way too. Eventually, her eyes skirt up to the small metal crate just above the restraining chair. She tilts her head, examining it. It's tiny, but she may be able to wriggle her way through it and get into the ventilation shafts.

She forces her sore body to move, every bit of her tissue and muscle practically screaming in pain. She crawls over to the restraining chair before putting her had on the small, circular wrist restraint. She pulls herself up and hoists herself up, reaching high for the metal grate. She bites her lips, puffing her cheeks, as her sore ribs make her wince as she grasps for the damn grill. She finally manages just to grace the metal with her fingers before she loses her footing and crashes to the ground, her head hitting and knocking off the tiled floor. Black spots explode in her eyes, and she reaches a quivering hand up to her head, feeling the blood seep on to her fingers.

"Nuts." She sighs before closing her eyes. She doesn't feel like she will faint, but her head hurts badly, and she just decides to lie there for a while. Her plans are interrupted, however, by the cell door slid open. She cracks open one eye to see a tall man standing in her doorway. He almost looks startled at the sight of the rebel sprawled out on the ground.

"Ugh, erm, I have clothes for you," he stutters out before practically throwing a pair of stuff grey trousers and a hospital shirt at her. She props herself up on her elbows, wincing again as the bright lights make her headache more apparent.

"Right, then." She mutters and nods, waiting for him to go. The man is still staring, though, and she cocks an eyebrow and waits for an explanation.

"Your stitches have broken, I'll need to fix that." He tells her before turning on his feet and exiting the door quickly. He was wearing dark navy trousers and a shirt with a high collar on it, so she is guessing he must be one of their doctors. She just sighs again and shuts her eyes, grimacing at the warm feeling on her head.

She must have fallen asleep because when she awakes, she is on her stomach and her face smooshed into the floor. She lets out a hybrid squeal snort before squirming, but she feels a steady hand on her shoulder.

"Please do not move, I am trying to fix your wound," The man murmurs seemingly transfixed on his work. She cracks an eye open to look at him. The man has tufts of blond hair sticking out under his hat and vivid blue eyes, which are still staring at her head. He has a soft-looking face, not like so many of the angry looking First Order soldiers. She can tell he has long limbs, and his mouth twitches as he focuses on applying the adhesive to her wound.

"Who 're you?" she asked her words still muffled by the floor. She notes her new clothes are folded in a neat pile next to her, waiting for her to dress in. Beside them are a steaming bowl of soup and a cup of water. Soup and water? The First Order is getting better with its prisoners.

"My name is Amias. I'm taking over your care," He says, in a quiet tone, as he finishes his work, finally. He carefully stands up, examining her head. She glances at him as he stands, awkwardly, before gesturing to the clothes and food. "Please eat and change; it should feel better. I know you must be in a lot of pain, but this is the best I could get for you. I'll be by tomorrow to check on your wounds." He explains before quickly turning on his heels and scurries to the door, only to trip on his feet, and he nearly falls headfirst into the hallway, in front of the two Stormtroopers, who suppress a snort and laughter.

What a silly man, but at least he is kinder than the rest. She reaches a still quivering hand over to the grey pile, pulling the shirt over. At first, she just lays on it, using it as a pillow with her eyes still squeezed shut. Everything hurts now, but she knows to change, and eating will help at least a little bit. She slowly pushes herself up before yanking her torn and ratty shirt off by the hem. Once she peels off her shirt, she looks down at her torso. She is covered in purple and red marks, running in patterns up her ribs, on her back, and her collarbones and neck. She carefully pulls the shirt on, wincing at the movement. The fabric is coarse and stiff, but at least it is clean. Her pants take longer, as moving her legs is difficult. LF8190 took a baton to her knees, she shudders at the memory, and she is honestly surprised her knees didn't shatter.

Iberis bites her lip as she slowly tugs the torn cloth off her legs. The sight of them is horrifying; black and blue marks in criss-cross shapes across her legs and swollen kneecaps. The trousers Amias gave her are stiff too, but at least they cover her. The uniform swallows her figure, but she feels slightly more human in it.

With hesitant fingers, Iberis reaches for the soup, half wondering if maybe they poisoned it- but if they wanted her dead, they would have done it already. She sips the tasteless broth with a few vegetables floating in it. It's better than gruel.

Her door slides open, and, unsurprisingly, heavy footsteps follow. Iberis doesn't bother looking up at him. His feet stop in front of her. Kylo Ren's breathing is slow and steady, and he kneels in front of her.

"How are your wounds?" He inquiries, tilting her head.

She snorts and smirks over her bowl, still not meeting his eyes. "I'll live, I promise you," she murmurs before taking another sip of the broth. Kylo Ren just looks at her, wondering why on earth this woman reappeared in his life.


	5. Into the Fire

"Where are you from?" Iberis asks Amias as he examines the back of her head. His trick with the adhesive seemed to have worked beautifully. His fingers graze her torn skin, but there is no blood caking her head, and that is a good sign.

"Nowhere. It doesn't matter." He responds quietly. She takes note that he has a quiet voice.

She is eyeing the tray of medical supplies sitting next to them while she contemplates an answer. "You're from somewhere, everyone is." she murmurs as she stares at the tools. Amias is shaking his head and reaches for her elbow, checking the bruise. While he leaned over, she jolts her arm, knocking the tray to the floor, which makes him jump, and he quickly scrambles to gather the steel tools. Still, she placed her foot over a small scalpel and slides it over, keeping it concealed under her feet, even as the sharp instrument slices through the ball of her foot. Her throat catches, and she winces but quickly smirks when Amias turns to look at her.

He seemingly has gathered all of his fallen tools and nods to her courtly. Without saying another word, before running out of the room. What a weird man, she thinks. As the door finally slides shut, she quickly kicks the scalpel out from under her feet. It is covered in blood but should help in opening the shaft.

Iberis stands, on her tiptoes, on the restraint chair, reaching for the grate. It has six screws on either side, and she grits her teeth, desperately trying to get the screws out. After thirty minutes, her fingers are rubbed bloody from trying to unscrew the metal vent with the scalpel and her fingernails, but she has managed to extract all of them. She slips the blade into the pocket of her shirt, before reaching up to the vent, and ripping it off. It is incredibly dense, and she nearly tumbles off the chair but manages to drop the vent on to the floor with a loud clatter. She has to jump and reach for the vent, but manages to pull herself into the vent, just as her door slides open.

Iberis looks at the shaft, which is just a small tube of shiny metal, networked through the entire base. She gulps at the claustrophobic sight, but as she hears screaming of stormtroopers and alarm bells beginning to yell, she quickly pushes herself forwards on her hands and knees. She has no idea what she will do to escape but prays something that comes to her as she crawls through the shaft. It feels suffocating, but maybe she can manage to find some way to get off this damn ship.

Joining the alarm bells are now bright red lights, which appear through the cracks in the metal grates adjoining the shaft, sending beams of red across the metal, and they illuminate her face. She comes to a sudden stop, just above a pair of stormtroopers, praying they don't look up and see her. She quietly pushes forwards, knowing she can't stay still for too long.

"Where is she?" A trooper asks from below her, clearly agitated with the lost prisoner.

"She went through the ventilation shafts, but it's hard to say where she is-"

Just as the stormtrooper finishes her sentence, Iberis unknowingly falls down a plummet in the shaft, which she hadn't seen. The sudden feeling of falling is overwhelming, and she lets out a scream as she falls at least one floor, before crashing onto yet another metal grate, hands first, and the impact makes her wrist break. She chokes out as the wind leaves her, and rolls on to her back. Then the metal grate gives way, and she crashes on to the floor. Damn, the First Order needs better grills. She rolls onto her side, choking on air, noticing immediately that the temperature has risen dramatically and sweat beads on her forehead. She barely has time to roll back before a sudden jet of flames flies through the air. The First Order must have an incinerator room, where they send the garbage to burn. Lovely. The place is large and black, with only stouts of flames licking the air from the incinerators, constructed into the floor, that shoot up every two minutes, but remain stationary otherwise. Thick smoke fills the air, and her eyes are watering. She chokes out a gasp before rolling on to her side, crawling onto her knees, looking for the door, but her vision is hazy.

As if it couldn't get any worse, she hears the door open. LF8190 walks forwards, a long electric weapon in his hands. He cocks his head before smiling under his mask.

"Ah. Let's finish what we started, rat."

Kylo Ren had sensed a disturbance as he stood in his chambers and went to her cell immediately. By the time he had gotten there, red alarm lights and sirens were wailing, and stormtroopers ran like wild, confused animals around the corridors. He peers around the hallways, knowing that she didn't take that route, and his eyes drift to the shaft, and he senses her there before the troopers have time to alert him.

A small group had formed around them, waiting for instruction, just as a scream rippled through the shaft, and it is easy to tell she had fallen down the vents.

"Get her; I want her unharmed." He tells the troopers, who clumsily begin running to the elevators, and one even smacks his head off the door. Kylo, again, rolls his eyes. His eyes peer to the floor below him, and he knows that she has fallen into the incinerator room.

He quickly goes to the awaiting elevator, he quickly rolls his eyes, again, so far into the back of his head, he thinks they may fall out. Of course, she escaped, and of course, she was stupid enough to fall into a ball of flames. The bright white elevator moves quickly to the floor below him, and it does not take him long to weave his way through the troopers to the incinerator room, where they had just opened the door. He didn't expect to hear another scream, but when he did, he moved quickly into the warm room. The sight that greets him makes him snarl.

Had Iberis, honestly, thought this plan through, she would have brought more than a scalpel. When LF8190 walked into the room, she immediately knew this might be her last moments alive. He had been trying to kill her ever since Jakku, and now this was his chance. Phasma must have released him from imprisonment when Hux intervened. The trooper had walked closer to her, menacingly, holding the electric weapon and making it glow with electricity. She gulped and crawled back, tears welling in her eyes from the pain in her wrist, and she can feel the heat crawling up her back, and smoke begins to cloud her nose and throat. The room is so dark with smoke that all she can see is that damn trooper inching closer to her. He hits her leg with the instrument, and she feels the pain ripple through her whole body, and she screams and writhes on the floor, tears instantly running down her cheeks. She continues crawling back, but the trooper jabs her in the stomach and Iberis roars, one last time, before crumpling on the floor.

LF8190 laughed at the sight, but then his stomach stopped as he noticed something. The prisoner had moved too close to the open incinerator. As she slumped to the floor, she had crashed into the tube. Shit. Before LF8190 has time to decide what he will do, he is flying back against the wall with so much force; he is unconscious.

With adrenaline coursing through his veins, Kylo sprints through the darkroom, his hand still raised to pin LF8190 to the wall. The sound of his heavy footsteps fills the entirety of the room, before he crashes to his knees, looking at the tube. He sees Iberis, clinging to a slight indentation in the middle of the tunnel. She is writhing against the shaft, burns immediately blistering on her exposed skin for the heat of the incinerator, and she lets out another scream before looking up, her hazy eyes focusing on him.

"Ben… Get out of here! It isn't safe!" She trails off before he notices her fingers beginning to loosen, and her head drops against the tube.

"Don't move," He instructs before he throws himself into the steaming incinerator, against the protests of the troopers who were standing above them. He had precisely thirty seconds before the next jut of flames until then; the internal tube was just hot but not lethal.

He slides down before he manages to get a hold of the same indentation and firmly plants his feet on either side of Iberis legs. She is twitching, and he can see blisters and burns over her entire body. He drops lower, practically pinning her body under his to ensure that she doesn't fall any further down. He grabs her arm, draping it over his neck, and then he reaches down and claps her waist. He can hear the flames brewing, and he knows he doesn't have time to escape before the flames erupt, so he has only one idea left. A force barrier is something he has not used often, but it is their only chance. He drops lower, knowing Her back may burn, but she will be protected.

"Stay close to me and close your eyes," he whispers, his mask pressed against the groove in her shoulder. She nods, squeezing her eyes shut as the hisses of fire become louder. She holds onto his torso tightly, pressing her face into his helmet, just as the flames erupt.

A moment later, the world exploded around them, and an encompassing blaze of red and orange engulfed them. Even though her eyes weren't open, she could feel the impossible heat, and it felt like the air in the room had evaporated.

Kylo's hand was now entangled in her hair, making sure her head didn't move and risking her getting out of the barrier. He felt her try to look up, but Kylo quickly pulled her hair harder, practically shoving her into his chest. Her hand had dropped to the back of his neck, gripping it tightly, and praying this will be over soon.

As quickly as the fire had come, it disappeared, leaving only thick, black smoke in its place. Iberis finally opens her eyes, choking, and coughing loudly. Kylo peers up to the opening of the tube, before grabbing Iberis's leg, heaving it to wrap around his waist. She still has one arm firmly wrapped around his neck, so she is practically wrapped around his body. He knows he can make the jump out of the tube. So, with a deep breath, he propels his body forwards and lands on the balls of his feet on the top floor. He is still holding her leg with one hand, and the back of her neck with the other.

He gulps as he sees several troopers, with a stretcher waiting for them and Amias standing beside it, looking frantic at the sight of his patient, with burns of varying degrees littering her skin.

Kylo is still practically cradling her in his arms, but he quickly peels her off and drops her on the waiting stretcher. She cracks an eyelid open and stares at him. "Thank you," she mumbles, before closing her eyes and letting her body go lax on the stretcher. Amias wheels her out, with Kylo quickly following in suit. Amais glances at him nervously, his hand gripping tighter on the pallet.

"You don't need to follow us," he tells him, but Kylo quickly grabs him by the collar and pushes him out of the way, taking hold of the stretcher, and pushing it into the awaiting elevator.

"Take another one." He instructs as the door slides shut on the medic.

Iberis smirks through gritted teeth, still refusing to open her eyes with the bright lights in the elevator. Kylo is gripping the stretcher so tightly; his knuckles were white under his gloves. Iberis waits for him to speak, but he is silent.

"What are you thinking about?" she mumbles, as she attempts to keep her body still, hoping that will ease the pain of her burns- but to no avail.

"Don't do something stupid like that again." He remarks through equally gritted teeth. She just smirks again as the door slides open, and the medical bay awaits them.


	6. Boom

Iberis lies in the medical bay, thick globs of serum and bandages are on her arms and face. These will help her burns heal. A cast is on her broken wrist. She has a small cup of water on her bedside tab, which she has been nursing. The scars from her burns and wounds will stay with her forever.

Amias is standing over her, observing the bandages he applied. He shakes his head at the sight. When he went into medicine, he made a vow to help all those in need. He hates being apart of a group that purposely causes pain. He hears the door slide open, and none other than LF8190 walks in. He rolls his eyes, refusing to turn and greet him. That damn trooper is Armitage Hux's little spy.

"Get up," LF8190 tells Iberis, stiffly.

The woman sighs, again, before forcing her sore body to stand, and she limps after him. Amias stays in the medical bay, not wanting to be apart of whatever LF8190 has planned because he knows what the First Order is planning.

It doesn't take them long to reach the bridge- which she had never seen before. It was cold and dark, with full windows and much First Order personnel scuttering around and performing duties on their computers. She raises an eyebrow at them, and many glares return at her. She sees Kylo Ren standing against the window, his back to her. He flinches when he feels her presence.

"Why did you bring her here?" He asks LF8190, who snorts and smirks, shoving Iberis forward harshly until she falls to her knees. Kylo flinches again, his hand raising.

"Orders from Hux. She needs to see- It'll make her talk." LF8190 snarls, grabbing the rebel's shoulders and dragging her over to the window, throwing her onto the ground. Kylo Ren turns around so quickly, his hands on the trooper's neck in a second.

"Touch the prisoner again, and you will regret it." He snares before shoving the trooper back with so much force he tumbles into the wall. Under his mask, LF8190 smiles; this is the reaction he wanted, the one Hux wants.

Kylo Ren turns back to the window, his breathing returning to a steady pace. It's time to see the weapon. Streaks of red have appeared, blazing a path through the stars, and to their destination. They will destroy the New Republic in a matter of moments. He looks down at Iberis, who is back on her feet and has her hands pressed against the windows. Her eyes are open wide, as the slow realization of what she is seeing hits her.

A significant tremor overtakes her as the destruction ensues. In mere moments, the Republic, billions of lives, were extinguished by the First Order. Kylo Ren remains motionless, but he feels no joy at this. This was not his intention; the mass extinction of these people was not what he wanted for a new world. He chewed his lip, and his eyes dropped to the black floor.

Iberis was silent while she watched the destruction, praying she was in some horrible, vivid nightmare. But, she was forced to back to reality by the sound of LF8190 laughing. Her body began trembling before a great sob escapes her, and she covers her face with shaking hands. Her knees crumple, and she crashes to the floor, tumbling against Kylo's legs. The sound of her cries rattles the bridge. Kylo knows many of the First Order personnel had family and friends who were still live in the Republic, and he can feel the intense emotion of many people sitting in their seats.

LF8190 strolls up, his torso racking with laughter. Iberis has stopped sobbing, and anger overtakes her entire form until she sees red. She clenches her fist and gets on to her knees, her body shaking with rage. A lieutenant is standing next to Kylo Ren, with a black baton strapped to his belt. In one second, Iberis shoves herself forward, tackling the lieutenant to the ground, ripping the rod out of his belt. She is practically foaming at the mouth as she swivels on her knees and pummels LF8190 across his knees, making him crash to the floor.

Several First Order personnel comes rushing forwards, but Kylo Ren stops them with a single hand. He despises LF8190, but he still rips the baton out of Iberis's hands, before she can cause any permanent damage. She yells out again as her right fist meets the ground, tears streaming down her face.

Kylo Ren kneels, clutching her waist, and quickly drags her out of the bridge. She kicks in his arms, her head, knocking against his helmet. He pulls her to the elevator, where Iberis finally kicks herself free of his arms, and he lets her. She tumbled to the ground steely ground, the white lights illuminating her form, tear-stained cheeks, burns, and welts littering her entire body. She glares at him, her teeth bared.

"How could you just stand by and watch them die! How could you not do anything to stop it!" She yells at him. Despite her stature, her voice is loud and rings through his ears. He swallows hard, chewing his lip under his helmet. Her upper lip curls over her teeth even more, and her red-rimmed eyes stare into his. "I know you, Ben. I don't give a shit about this character you're hiding under- I know Ben would care about those people that died. I know you felt them cry out before they died." She snarls. He suddenly slams a button, with his balled fist, on the elevator, making it come to a sudden stop. Iberis is shaken and tumbles forwards, while he stands there with clenched fists.

"This had to be done; there needs to order. And, you don't know me, Iberis. You don't know anything about what happened to me." He snaps, his voice rising higher than he meant it. He is angry because her words have a ring of truth to them. He did feel those people, their pain, their fright, everything. Then, it all went silent.

She is still staring at him, but her breathing has slowed. She carefully rises to her feet, taking a step closer to him. He doesn't move but flinches when she raises her hand.

"Please, tell me what happened to you, Ben. What happened with Luke? Tell me, I can help you," she whispers. Her hands go to the rim of his helmet, and her fingers trace it, looking for a way to take it off. He considers it, briefly, but then reaches up and grabs her fingers.

"You can't help me." He whispers, his voice unusually quiet.

Iberis swallows hard and shakes her head, turning her hands over, so they clutch him tightly. "I won't give up on you," She responds, almost assertively. "Remember those hugs you'd give me when were kids if I was scared? Like when there would be those big lightning storms, or fighting when imperial loyalists in the back alleys. You'd hug me and tell me it was okay because we were together, so nothing bad would happen. I could have used one of those hugs today." She tells him, reminiscing on the days of their childhood. Iberis reaches for the button to begin the elevator, and in moments the door opens to the medical bay.

"I don't remember that time," he admits, his cold exterior faltering momentarily.

She looks at him, her mouth opening to respond, but then Amias grabs her by the arm and yanks her away, back to the stretcher. She looks back at him, her hand twitching, reaching for his, but he closes the elevator doors.

Klyo doesn't have time to worry about her anymore. Kylo Ren needs to destroy Luke Skywalker, and he needs the map to him and the droid that carries it, and they are down in Takodana.

At least, that's what he's trying to tell himself, that he doesn't worry about her anymore. He is twitching with anger before he makes a sudden decision.


	7. The Pod

Amias stands in the medical bay, his fingers twitching over his clipboard. His thoughts are racing, but one thing is clear; after the destruction of the New Republic, he wants no part in the First Order. Indeed, he never did in the first place. His father was a steadfast Imperialist supporter, so both Amias and his sister Eyemé were told to join the First Order.

Amias has long since lost contact with his sister, he hopes she is well, but he cannot stand by blindly and support the First Order. He glances at the clock on the wall, noting how his shift has technically finished. He drops his clipboard onto his metal desk before swiftly walking out of the medbay. 

He quickly gets back to his quarters, which is steely and cold. He has few belongings, the most important being a small portrait of his mother. He takes it off his desk, before folding it and tucking it into a pocket. In one quick moment, Amias decides what he will do. He will abandon the First Order and take Iberis with him. She can direct them to the Rebels, and Amias will do his best to help them if they allow it. Even if they throw him into prison, it’ll be better than staying with the First Order. 

He turns on his heel and almost runs out of the quarters, quickly weaving his way through the corridors. He feels he knows the route to Iberis’s cell-like the back of his hand. Her room is unguarded, as she is too injured to try and make any sort of escape plan. He presses the code to open the door, and Iberis looks at him from her spot lying in the middle of the floor. 

Her eyebrow knits together as she props herself up on her elbows, staring at him quizzically. “What are you doing here?” she asks him. 

Amias’s eyes skirt around the perimeter of the room, before walking over and grabbing her forearm. “I’m taking you to transport to a prison planet for a hard labor punishment, orders from Snoke,” he mutters in case any hidden microphones pick up his voice. 

Iberis opens her mouth to argue, but he is already dragging her out of the cell into the corridor. It is laden with stormtroopers. They pay little attention to them as Amias is a trusted medic. He quickly weaves in and out of the steely hallways to the elevator. Once inside, he pushes Iberis in before pushing the button for the transport level. He figures he has three minutes to get to a pod and escape before someone notices they’re disappearance. He doubts Kylo Ren will have them destroyed if they are in a pod as he won’t risk killing Iberis, so he just needs to put them into the air and far enough away from the ship. 

Unbeknownst to them, Kylo Ren had decided to make one last stop to Iberis before he left on his mission. An uneasy feeling had taken hold of him, and he was growing desperate for clarity. Despite his tense relationship with Iberis, his once childhood friend does bring back pleasant memories, which Kylo finds calming. He’s unsure what he expects to gain from another visit with her, but he doesn’t stop. His Knights of Ren have yet to voice their unease about his visits with the woman, but he can sense it brewing. 

He reaches her cell and punches the code. His face falls instantly. Yet again, there is an empty cell. His fists ball up immediately when he senses the truth; the doctor has taken her. He feels a roar brewing in his throat, and it bellows out as he punches the control board so hard it breaks. A stormtrooper immediately hits the alarms, and red lights and sirens begin blaring through the ship, and Kylo begins running to the bay. Anger flows through his veins as the idea of potentially losing Iberis, again, is lingering in his mind. 

In the elevator, Iberis is still staring at him; anger wrote across her face. He forces a smile as he taps his fingers, waiting for the door to open, which it does. At that moment, the alarms begin ringing throughout the hallways. Amias mutters a curse before poking his head out of the door, thankful to see the empty hall waiting for them. He checks behind him before turning back and whispering, quickly and quietly. “I’m not going to send you to a prison camp. I realized what we’re doing is wrong, and I don’t want a part of it anymore. I can help you get out, but we need to get to the rebel base. I know this is a lot to process, you can think about it when we’re on the pod.” 

He says everything so quickly her mouth pops open, but he is already running through the halls, her hand clasped in his. A small transport pod is vacant in the bay, and he quickly ducks into it, with Iberis standing outside, her mouth still hanging open, as she finally finds the words to speak. The transport is bathed in red light from the control panel, and it has a leather seat for the pilot and one place on the side for a passenger. 

“Does Kylo know you’re doing this?” She asks, but Amias doesn’t say anything, only continues to punch in coordinates. By the sound of the alarms, she is guessing the answer is no. The transport pods, unlike the TIE fighters, are not chained up, and it will be an easy escape. She looks around at Amias, who swallows hard before he grabs her arm and pulls her in, locking the transport door shut as it begins to hover off the ground and float towards the giant gateway. Open space is waiting for them, and it is like a saving grace as they start their descent out of the portal, with nothing stopping them. 

Kylo has skidded to a stop at the other end of the bay. Iberis presses her face against the glass panel in the pod before it picks up speed and whirls through the air. The last thing she sees at the bay is Kylo reaching for the pod, no doubt trying to use the force, but it’s too far out of his reach. 

“No!” He growls, but in one second, the pod has disappeared. He is left standing at the bay as anger courses through his veins.


	8. A Mistake

Amias takes Iberis’s hands, undoing the handcuffs, while she stares out at the stars. The escape pod is small and cramped, and she has her knees drawn up to her chest. Amias has ripped off his hat and jacket, throwing them on the floor, scowling at the First order emblem on his jacket while he returns to the pilot seat. 

“Where are we going?” Iberis asks him quietly, her eyes still glued to the stars. 

“D’qar. The Rebel base is there,” Amias replies as he leans back, shutting his eyes and trying to not think about the slaughter of the New Republic system. 

“Why did you change allegiance?” Iberis pushes, glancing down at the crumpled grey coat on the steel ground. 

“The destruction of the New Republic. It was an evil act,” Amais responds, angrily. 

“The First Order has always been evil. You should have known that” Iberis spits back at him. Amias does not answer her anymore, instead, his hands begin to tremble. They sit, in silence, after that. Iberis has tried to sleep, but the constant pain in her body makes her shake. She holds her cast as she tries to find a comfortable position for her burns. Amias throws a glance back at her, but Iberis’s mind is far away. These days, Ben remains on her mind. Her feelings for him are so mixed. On one hand, she despises him for keeping her prisoner. On another, she is desperate to see her old friend again. 

And Iberis does not forget the fact that he threw himself into an incinerator to get her back. She also can’t forget the feeling of his body against hers, and his hands tangled in her hair as he pulled her against his body. Iberis sighs heavily before shifting her weight and trying to sit comfortably. 

“You’ll need to offer me as a prisoner. I'll tell them whatever they want,” Amias informs her as he leans back, but a beeping noise makes him jump. The screen shows an incoming ship, but Iberis can’t make out the shape of it. It is coming in quickly, and before Amias can react, a sudden heavy force makes their pod jolt. The jolt causes Amias to crash onto the control board, and the man lets out a roar before an unprompted voice comes through the speaker. 

“Did you really think you could take her away from me- and live?” 

The sound of Ben’s voice makes Iberis perk up from her seat. Ben’s voice sounds low and absolutely furious. Iberis begins breathing heavily as she forces herself to crawl off the chair, over to the communicator. Amias shoves her back with one hand, before snorting. “What are you going to do, Kylo Ren? I’m not going back,” Amais answers as he pushes the ship farther. It won’t reach D’qar in time, and it seems to be caught in a tractor beam, from Ben’s small command ship. 

“I don’t care what happens to you, I just want her,” Ben spits from his command deck. The frigate he is on is small, with only a minimal crew in the engineering room and some on the command deck. 

In the escape pod, Amias glances down to a button on the control panel, a dim green light emitting from it. Iberis knows exactly what it is, many of the First Order escape pods are equipped with them; a self destruct override, to avoid capture. 

Iberis’s eyes widen as she sees Amias’s hand creep towards the button. She throws herself forward onto his chair, crying out as her body makes contact with the stiff chair. “No, don't touch that!” Iberis screams before Amias grabs her shoulder again, shoving her to the ground harshly. 

“What are you doing?” Ben growls again from the communicator, but Amias is shaking his head harshly before looking at Iberis with tears flooding his eyes. 

“It’s the only way,” Amias chokes out, while he uses his foot to keep her pressed to the ground. Iberis screams again, a loud, bloody scream that ripples through Ben’s command deck, which makes him quiver with anger and forces him to act quickly. 

Before Amias can hit the button, a force slams into the small escape pod, causing both Amias and Iberis to go flying into the control panel. Iberis uses her free hand to punch Amias in the jaw, making sure he isn’t close to the button. She desperately grabs the communicator as Amias crashes to the ground, stunned by the blow. 

“He’s trying to hit the destruct button!” Iberis screams into the communicator, but Amias has crawled back. He seems almost crazed as he grabs Iberis, trying to drag her away from the button in desperation. He curls his fist and punches her in the throat, making her gag and choke, but she still puts her body over the button as Amias screams at her. 

“Ben, he w-won’t, s-stop,” Iberis gurgles out. Ben grabs his saber, lashing out against the wall and screaming. 

Their pod suddenly docks, making both of them crash to the floor. Amais looks terrified before kicking Iberis off the control board, in one last desperate attempt to initiate the self-destruct sequence. But, he is stopped once again. It seems like mere seconds before the hatch door is seemingly ripped off its hinges, and Ben comes storming in, his hand raised. He grabs Amias, lifting the physician off the ground, before slamming him against the metal wall. There’s a deafening crack as Amias’s ribs break. His hand tightens around the physician’s throat before he glances at Iberis on the ground, who is curled into a ball, with new bruises forming on her throat. She looks up at him, with blood starting to stream down her face, and his anger only grows. 

A horrible, loud choking noise fills the air, breaking through Iberis’s fingers, despite the fact she now has them pressed against her ears. The choking noises soon fade, instead, there’s an awful crunch, followed by a loud thud. 

Iberis again feels too weak to look at Amias’s corpse. Ben has tossed the body and now kneels next to her, pushing her hair away from her throat. His gloved hand trembles slightly, as he then plucks his glove off and lays his hand on her cheek. Iberis reaches up with her hand and places it timidly over his. 

“Stop… Disappearing,” Ben says quietly, and Iberis doubts she was even meant to hear the words. 

Ben carefully pulls the woman into his arms and walks off the pod. His barren crew stands at the bottom of the ramp, staring quizzically at the sight. “Get rid of it,” Ben growls. 

He carries Iberis not to the prison cell, but instead to his personal quarters. He lays the woman on his stiff bed, before reaching for a medical kit. Ben takes out a syringe, with a mysterious gold substance in it. He clutches her thigh, before rolling her over, she is on her stomach. He stabs the syringe into her thigh, causing her to moan. Almost instantaneously, new energy seemingly courses through her veins and her eyes pop open wide, as much of her pain seems to diminish entirely. 

Iberis sits up, so quickly, Ben has to duck away so she doesn’t hit her head off his mask. He takes a step back before taking a seat on the white table, staring at the woman, who is looking around with renewed energy. 

“W-what d-did you give m-me?” She asks, her voice still cracking and raspy from Amias’s punch.   
Ben shrugs as he stands, once again, and goes to look at her damaged throat. The bruise is getting worse. “Just some medicine,” He mumbles as his thumb runs down her skin, making her shiver. 

Finally, Iberis reaches up, resting her hand on his helmet. “T-take it o-off,” she rasps out, barely audible and cracked. She looks at him with an intense expression. “I w-want to s-see Ben. My B-ben,” she chokes out. 

Ben doesn’t fight her this time. He doesn’t know why the argument dies in his throat, but it does. He takes the mask off, letting it drop to the ground with a loud slam. Seeing his face offered her a small sense of familiarity and safety, despite where she is. She breathes out heavily before placing her hand on his chin, running his thumb over the small scar on his chin from when they fell out of a tree when they were young. 

Iberis doesn’t know where her next words come from, maybe whatever medicine he gave her, but she puts her hand on the back of his neck and pulls him closer to her, so his breath is tickling her face. Ben doesn’t react, his hazel eyes are searching her face to see what she does next. 

Heat rose from Iberis’s stomach as she stares at Ben, her heart skipping a beat as she decides her next move. When she crashes her lips into his, he doesn’t pull away. It shocked her, the feeling of his foreign lips on hers, but he takes his thumb and pushes it against her jaw to make her lips part for him. Ben’s hand curls into the back of her head, wrapping his fingers around her braids. His other hand goes to her thigh, and he lifts her easily so she can wrap her legs around his waist. 

Once the medicine wears off, Iberiis going to feel every single bit of her injuries. But right now, all she feels is him, and for once, she forgets about the fighting, the war, and the carnage. It was selfish of her to do that, and the medicine makes her feel almost primal. Ben is still her enemy. And truly, she knows this is an undoubtedly stupid decision. But as soon as the medicine entered her bloodstream, she craved every single bit of him. It’s like it was a truth serum and brought out her desires which she had hidden far, far away. 

Ben flips her over, so she is now on top of him as he drops to the bed, his hand cradling bottom and he pulls her closer to him, as he breaks free of her lips and goes to her neck, delicately kissing the forming bruises. Ben knows this is a mistake; that she is his prisoner, but she is intoxicating to him. 

“Mine,” Ben growls into her neck, making a raspy moan rip out of Iberis’s lips. 

They both know this is a mistake. But, that fact disappears out of both of their minds, quickly.


End file.
